Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia Beach
Nickname(s): 
"The Resort City", VA Beach
Motto: 
Landmarks of Our Nation's Beginning
Interactive map of Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach
Coordinates: 36°51′00″N 75°58′40″W / 36.85000°N 75.97778°W / 36.85000; -75.97778
Country United States
State Virginia
Incorporated (town)1906 (1906)
Incorporated (city)1952 (1952)
Government
  TypeMayor–council–manager
  BodyVirginia Beach City Council
  MayorBobby Dyer (R)
Area
497.50 sq mi (1,288.52 km2)
  Land244.72 sq mi (633.83 km2)
  Water252.78 sq mi (654.69 km2)
Elevation
10 ft (3 m)
Population
 (2020)
457,672
  Estimate 
(2024)
454,808
  RankUS: 42nd
VA: 1st
  Density1,877.53/sq mi (724.92/km2)
  Urban
1,451,578 (US: 36th)
  Urban density3,013.6/sq mi (1,163.6/km2)
  Metro
1,799,674 (US: 37th)
GDP
  Independent city$29.532 billion (2023)
  Metro$127.459 billion (2023)
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
  Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
23450-23467, 23471, 23479
Area code(s)757, 948
FIPS code51-82000
GNIS feature ID1500261
Websitevirginiabeach.gov

Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the most populous city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the sixth-most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic and the 42nd-most populous city in the U.S. with a population of 459,470 at the 2020 census. Virginia Beach is a principal city in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, which has more than 1.8 million inhabitants and is the 37th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S.

Virginia Beach is a resort city with miles of beaches and hundreds of hotels, motels, and restaurants along its oceanfront. Near the point where the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean meet, Cape Henry was the site of the first landing of the English colonists who eventually settled in Jamestown; modern Virginia Beach was established in 1906. It is home to several state parks, protected beaches, and military bases. Virginia Wesleyan University, Regent University, Christian Broadcasting Network, the U.S. headquarters of Stihl, and the Association for Research and Enlightenment are based in Virginia Beach. It also hosts the annual East Coast Surfing Championships and Neptune Festival.

The city is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as having the longest pleasure beach in the world. It is located at the southern end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which was the world's longest bridge-tunnel complex until the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge opened in 2018.